Hell Hound
by Shade the Hero
Summary: Cloud has to fight again, but this time it's a fight he can't win. The enemy is on the move and while Cloud wants to hunt him down, more than his injuries are holding him back. -Takes places after AC but before DoC-
1. Left for Dead

_This will be story will be a little AU while at the same time sticking very close to canon. I haven't seen anyone else use this idea, so I figure I'd give it a shot. Chapters will probably be short and updates will be random. I've been making progress on other stories so expect update for them soon. ;)_

_Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square Enix_

_Enjoy._

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_Alone I stand, A broken man ~ Without You - Breaking Benjamin_

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**Hell Hound**

_Chapter One_

Tifa didn't like this. Cloud had said he was going to Aerith's church and would be back by sundown. That was two days ago and he still hadn't returned. In the past he had gone off on his own and wouldn't be back for days, week, sometimes even months at a time. This was different. Ever since the incident with the remnants he had been getting better. He came home almost every day, except for the extra long trips he had to take for his delivery service, but he'd always come back. But this wasn't a delivery trip. This was a visit to the church where he had first met Aerith, where he had found the cure for the stigma and cured the children along with himself. So, what was taking him so long?

She kept going over every possible reason in her head - trying to find the reason before finding him and asking him herself. She thought about calling him, but he still had issues when it came to actually answering. No matter. She'd rather talk to him face to face anyway, or if he didn't give her the right answers, face to fist. It wouldn't be the first time she'd hit him and odds were, it wouldn't be the last.

As she rounded the corner of the large mound of debris that were ever present in this area she noticed something shocking about the church. It had been set on fire! Small dark wisps of smoke rose from the smoldering ashes as if the fire had burned itself out. The damage was massive and the building was completely gutted. Everything that was wood was now burnt charcoal and the once beautiful stain-glass windows had either been blown out or melted.

Tifa took her eyes of the building when something shiny reflected from somewhere and caught her attention. A piece of black metal glinted in the sunlight. It looked like it had broken off of something and then she saw another piece,...and then another. She found a larger piece that looked familiar until she rounded the corner and saw a mangled mess of black metal, twisted, sliced and burnt. With a horrible realization twisting in her gut, she realized what this was.

_"Fenrir."_

Cloud's prized mode of transportation was nothing more than a mangled pile of scrap, but where was the rider? Tifa's heart froze and she dashed back around to the entrance of the church and forced her way inside, tossing charred beams aside as if they were twigs. She looked all over the church and there was no sign of him. She was relieved, until another glint caught her eye. It was the water in the middle of the church. Even after that battle, flowers still bloomed, until the fire burned all that were not submerged beneath the protective liquid's surface.

Tifa checked to make sure no harm had befallen the spring. It wasn't just a cure for Stigma, but had other healing effects as well. Cloud had often come here to check and make sure no one had tried to disturb such a tranquil place. That's when Tifa' s heart plummeted.

On the other side of the water'd edge, where the sword of Cloud's friend used to lay, was Cloud. He was in a sitting position with his head slumped forward. One of his swords was resting in his unclenched hand, the other sword was...

"**CLOUD!**"

Tifa ran to his side, dropping to her knees and tried to wake him up. The smallest of his multi-bladed sword was sticking out of his chest. Dried blood covered the entire front of his shirt and more blood left a trail from his mouth down to his chin and staining his neck.

Being mindful of the sword still lodged in his chest, she bent down and pulled her hair back, listening - praying for the sound of a heart beat.

_. . . ba-thum . . . ba-thum . . . ba-thum . . ._

She let out the biggest sigh of relief when she heard his heart still pulsing. It was weak and his condition looked grim, but he was alive. She tried calling to him again, though more gently this time.

"Cloud? Please...wake up. Who did this?"

It was no use. ultimately, Tifa decided it was for the best. If he woke up now he'd probably be in too much pain to talk anyway. The wound was already infected and it seemed that the wound wasn't healing like it should. Reaching for his cell phone she dialed the first number that came to mind.


	2. Tracks

_I did say that the chapters would be short. Though, I'm not happy that this one was 'really' short. While this story does take place between Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus it does not have anything to do with DoC. It's a great game, but I don't know enough about it to try and write anything for it...yet. I wanted to thank everyone who left reviews for last chapter. You're the reason why this chapter was finished so quickly. Expect a lot of cliffhangers. Some suspenseful, others...not so much. I know there are typos in the last chapter and they will be fixed. There will probably also be typos in this chapter as well, since they like to sneak up on me and are very good at hiding from spellcheck. xD_

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_Chapter Two_

Three hours had passed since Tifa made the phone call and now she was pacing in the medical room of WRO headquarters. Tifa had meant to call Barret, but in her state of panic she called Reeve's number and didn't realize her mistake until he answered. It was probably for the better. While Barret could only bring him to the nearest hospital, Reeve had the best of the best doctors and equipment at his disposal. There was just one thing Tifa didn't like about it and she made her opinion known.

"You know he's going to freak out when he wakes up."

"It's the only way to fully heal him," Reeve replied as he monitored the swordsman's condition himself.

Once he had been transported and stabilized (after flat-lining twice), Cloud had been placed into a tank that was filled with a clear blue liquid. The fluid was filled with a high concentration of oxygen, giving him enough to breathe while remaining submerged allowing the liquid to absorb into his system and begin the healing process.

Tifa could only look up at him, making sure she was within his line of sight when he woke up. Reeve turned his chair to address her.

"So, what exactly happened?"

Tifa hugged her arms as she recalled the sight that nearly made her break down. "I...don't know. He was suppose to come home two days ago. I went to where he said he would be I found Fenrir destroyed, the church burned and Cloud...in his current state."

Reeve leaned to the side of his chair, scratching his chin. "It seems we have quite the mystery on our hands. Tell me, was there anything else that you noticed? Anything suspicious?"

Tifa thought back, carefully replaying the scene, trying to remember if there was anything out of place.

"Come to think of it,...there was something missing. It was a few months back, after the cure was discovered. Cloud had placed his buster sword in the church, but it wasn't there when I found him."

"There was nothing else?" asked Reeve.

Tifa gave it some more thought before shaking her head. "No, that was it. I know it's not much to go on-"

"I'm afraid it's nothing to go on," Reeve countered. "It looks like the only one who can help us solve this mystery is Cloud."

Tifa let out a defeated sigh before turning back to gaze at the injured fighter, floating in the tank.

The two were alerted to a beep that came from the computer screen. Reeve pressed a button. "Reeve here."

"Reeve," a gruff voice answered.

"Vincent, what have you found?"

Vincent was standing among the rubble a fair distance away from the church. "I've found two sets of tracks leading to and from the church. One is from Cloud's motorcycle, and the other is from someone on foot. Boots, standard Shinra SOLDIER military boots."

Reeve blinked. "Are you sure?"

"Affirmative."

"Can you follow them, Vincent?"

The ex-Turk followed the trail with his gaze. "I believe so, I'll see where they lead and report back when I can."

Reeve nodded. "Very well, Good luck."

The call ended and Reeve looked over at Tifa. She was obviously still worried. He wanted to reassure her.

"If he's stable enough in a few hours, I'll have him placed in a normal medical bed if it'll put you both at ease?"

Tifa relaxed a little, hearing that. "Thanks."


	3. Tense Moments

_Talk about busy. I'm currently working on four updates at once, though it's nice to have one of them finished. Updates for "Present From the Past", "Kindred Spirits", and "Brother of Darkness" are almost done. I'm also trying to update my newest story, "Strife: SG-1", but I'm waiting for that until these other ones are finished. __I didn't plan to make Vincent a major character in this story, but he's working his way in as one of the main players. Only time will tell though.  
_

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_Chapter Three_

Vincent was silent as he followed the set of tracks. His mind however was full of questions and concerns. It had always been hard for Vincent to trust anyone and even harder to consider anyone a friend. Being a turk in a former life didn't help and being experimented on certainly didn't make it any easier. It was only because of one person that he was seeing life in a new light. He had caused Vincent to waken from a long slumber and over time he had found out just how much they had in common. Through him he met others that, although a bit odd, were real friends who would never abandon him like his previous acquaintances had.

So, naturally when Tifa called Reeve it was Vincent who arrived, leading the rescue. The ex-turk glared at the two medical personal when they came upon the scene. Vincent needed to check the swordsman over to make sure the transport was carried out safely without doing the man any further harm. Seeing that the other injuries were minor, Vincent then focused on the main problem. The sword in his chest.

It wasn't just a matter of causing more damage. The sword had been driven so deep, with such force that it went straight through the swordsman and had become wedged tightly in the stone wall. Cloud was pinned.

Vincent knew what he had to do, but he also had to be careful. The slightest mistake and the blonde would bleed out. He stood up and walked over to one of the medics before snatching a cloth from the man's open first aid kit. Vincent then handed it to Tifa.

"Press that against his chest while I pull the sword out. Don't let him move with the sword."

She nodded and took a slow, deep breath to prepare her nerves, knowing that Cloud's life was literally in her hands.

Vincent grasped the hilt of the blade and glanced at her. "Ready?"

She nodded and he began to pull. A fresh wave of blood began to flow, Tifa pressed the cloth against him as hard as she could without causing more damage while Cloud moaned and grunted unconsciously in pain. Vincent tried to be steady, the wound was really gushing, but he had to go slow. The blade finally dislodged from the wall and Vincent was careful removing it from it's owner.

Finally unpinned, the blood flowed freely from both his chest and his back. Vincent snapped an order for the medics to hand him the cure materia before using it to stop the bleeding. Cloud had given a violent shudder before growing deathly still. His heart had stopped.

Vincent growled and cast a weak lightning to jump-start his heart. "Stop running, Cloud." He growled before his pulse returned. There were tears in Tifa's eyes as she watched on the sidelines, helplessly while clutching the cloth that had been dyed red with blood.

With his heart beating weakly, Vincent finished using cure, healing him enough to stop the bleeding and making it safe enough to transport. Tifa never left his side and the trip to WRO headquarters was tense, yet uneventful. They were almost to the medical room when he flat-lined again. They rushed him the rest of the way where he was revived a second time and placed in one of the medical tanks.

With the blonde out of immediate danger, Vincent turned to leave before Tifa called to him. "Thank you."

He turned to meet her gaze and nodded before heading off. Cloud was safe, now it fell to him to find his attacker.

This brought Vincent back to the present. He had followed the tracks for a while, but stopped when he came to a dead end. The tracks did not lead to the mound of rubble which meant only one thing. He had been picked up by someone. He could see the indents in the ground where a type of hover craft had landed. Whoever was responsible was long gone. Vincent flipped opened his phone and hit speed dial.

"Reeve," he greeted in the same gruff, monotone voice. "The tracks lead to a dead end. The attacker was picked up. Whoever it was, they weren't working alone. Send word out to the others. Cloud may not have been the only target."


	4. Mako Dreams

_I don't know how this turned into an update for Chapter Four. It started out as a new chapter for Present from the Past. ^^; heh, oh well. I won't complain it works out quite nicely.  
_

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_Chapter Four_

He had relived this nightmare many times, so he knew what to expect. Dream or not, it didn't make it any less painful or terrifying. It infuriated him to think that he could face off against Sephiroth and win, yet a memory terrified him so much that he sometimes avoided sleep to save himself from the hell he had endured. Sleep would always win in the end, but he never gave in without a fight.

Once again he dreamt he was back in the basement of Shinra mansion. He was strapped to a table, the cold steel made his breath catch in his throat and he visibly shivered. scientists in white lab coats stood around him, talking about procedures and describing the subject's actions as if he were just some lab rat. In their eyes he was, but it didn't stop him from trying to voice his threats. Restrained or not, he was still a force to be reckoned with. His conscious mind knew this, but since this was a memory he was trapt in, he lacked the strength to break free of his bonds and crack their heads together, as much as he wanted to.

That's when he appeared. Hojo; the monster in human clothing. He was the cause of everything. Everything that went wrong in Cloud's life traced back to that one person. He had made Sephiroth go insane, he had been the one that found him and Zack and took them away, he was the one who treated both as his personal pet projects, trying to turn them both into Sephiroth clones. He was the reason Cloud's mind had been a jumbled mess and he was the reason Zack was now dead. They never would have had to run if not for him.

A few times Cloud had debated about hunting the man down and make him pay, but he never went through with it. Partly because he was too busy saving the world and other times he knew that no amount of torture would undo the damage that had been done. As much as he deserved it. There was also the risk of getting captured again and nothing short of Zack coming back to life would be worth that hell.

The pain he was forced to relive in these nightmares never dulled over the years and once he was dunked in the mako-filled tanks the pain would almost triple as the glowing green liquid burned through him. He wondered if it'd be less painful laying in a river of lava? It seemed to burn just the same. Every single inch of his body writhed in pain as it fought to counter the invasion of mako now flowing in his system. It truly was a miracle he had survived. Again, it was all thanks to Zack.

It never ceased to amaze the swordsman how much his friend had been there for him, how much he had done to keep the runty little cadet alive. Cloud would be nothing without Zack and the more he successfully separated his memories and personality over the years from his friend's it only made him realize this truth even more. He was alive because Zack refused to abandon him, he was always, _always _looking out for him, saving him from bullies, keeping him alive during their run as fugitives, always giving him pep talks when he needed it, and he more than often felt Zack's aura around him when he was depressed or troubled. It also helped that he had visited him a few times in his dreams from the lifestream, sometimes accompanied by Aerith.

He would have given anything for one of those dreams, but now he was stuck in pure hell. The mako continued to burn and seemed to gather in his chest as if trying to squeeze his heart. While submerged in the tank filled with mako he tried to scream out in pain, but all he got was a mouth full of burning acid. He clutched his chest and screamed in pain once again. The pain was too much, too _real. _In a rare moment he had done something almost as difficult as fighting the silver-haired ex-general. He managed to wake himself up.

_. . . _

Tifa had stepped outside to welcome Cid who arrived, via his airship. It had taken a few days to for everyone gather, but thanks to Cid's help it didn't take nearly as long as otherwise. When the ship landed Yuffie was the first one to emerge. She was as energetic as ever and bounded next to Tifa as if to hug her, but raised up her arm to exchanged a high-five which Tifa happily returned.

"Hey, been a while!" she said cheerfully.

"Not since we saved the world again, anyway," Yuffie replied with an amused smirk.

"Now I know you better not be ignorin' me," came Barret's booming voice from the ship's open hatch. Denzel and Marlene were standing next to him.

"Of course not," Tifa replied. "Thanks to taking care of Denzel and Marlene for us."

Barret huffed, "Now why would I mind takin' care of my little girl? An Denzel's a good kid. Spiky must be doin' somethin' right, so where is he anyway?"

"Let's head inside," Tifa replied, a little too quickly for Barret. Instantly he knew something was up. If Spiky had done anything to upset her, Barret would make sure he'd spit teeth.

_. . ._

They waited for Cid to catch up before heading inside. "So what's the deal callin' the gang back together? Some of us are pretty busy you know."

"I know," she replied, "but something's happened. A possible new threat and it concerns all of us."

"And Spiky needs back up, right?" Barret asked, determined to find out exactly how many times he needed to be punched.

"In a way," Tifa replied. "Something happened and Cloud-"

Suddenly red lights began to flash as an alarm sounded. Marlene clutched her adopted father's pant leg while Denzel stood closer to Yuffie.

"What the hell's goin' on?!" Shouted Cid.

"Warning, medical emergency - code blue. Hospital wing - room 37-A." came a computer voice over the intercom.

Tifa's face paled. "Oh no."


	5. Stormcloud

_Well, I wasn't going to update a third chapter today, (because I've never done that before xD) but I think I've left enough cliffhangers lately and didn't think it was fair to keep teasing you, so here's a little early gift. ;) Also, maybe I should make this a mystery as it seems people are so curious to know who Cloud's attacker is. Don't worry. He'll reveal himself at the right time, just...not yet. It won't be long from now though and we'll get a glimpse at the bad guys soon enough. Promise. ^^ _

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_Chapter Five_

Tifa charged ahead with the others hot on her heels, she didn't even bother using the elevators. With the adrenaline flowing through her she'd be faster taking the stairs anyway. They had made it to the medical wing when common sense dawned on Tifa.

"Yuffie, keep the kids back here. They'll be safer that way." Yuffie pouted, but the seriousness in Tifa's tone worried her and she did as asked.

The group proceeded down the hall only to stop when the door to room 37-A slid open and a female nurse stumbled out, clutching her bleeding arm.

"What's goin' on?!" Barret hollered.

"H-h-he's g-gone cr-crazy," the woman managed to reply through the pain.

This was what Tifa was afraid of. Over the past few days they had tried to place Cloud in a more comfortable, tank-less room, but his condition seemed to deteriorate and wouldn't stabilize until he was placed back in the medical tanks. She expected Cloud to panic a little when he woke up, but she didn't think he'd react _this _badly.

The group rushed in only to see their friend backed into a corner, his blue eyes blazing with mako and he was holding to large shards of glass in his hands as if they were daggers. Several doctors and other nurses in the room had several stab and slash marks, it was a miracle no one had been killed.

Tifa had never seen Cloud like this and it terrified her. "C-Cloud?"

_. . ._

In his dreams Cloud was in a panic, trapt in the mako tank he clutched his burning chest as the fluid filled his lungs. He woke with a start, his eyes snapped wide open as he had managed to wake himself up. That's when he noticed the horror of reality. He was _still _in a tank!

He began pounding on the glass, using all of his strength, now fully aware of the mako in his blood beginning to kick in to gear. The glass started to crack as the doctors assigned to monitor him began to try and calm him down. One doctor noticed his heart rate had doubled and his blood pressure soared. His breathing had become erratic and no matter how the doctors tried to reason with him, he heard nothing but muffled cries.

No, he wasn't going to let Hojo get him again. Not this time. He'd fight and kill anyone who got in his way if he had to. He was not about to let everything he had worked so hard for to be stripped away again. Never again.

With one last solid punch the glass shattered. Without his sword he grabbed the only thing he could use, two large broken shards of glass. Weaker than the fusion sword, but in his hands just as deadly. Two of the doctors approached him, one of them wielding a needle and syringe. He went after that one first.

Anyone who stood in his way was given one small chance to move or get wounded. He wasn't gonna give them a chance to pull something on him. He had managed to make them back away long enough to head for the exit. When he reached the door he was shot in the back from behind by a tranquilizer gun. Out of pure rage, Cloud turned on him, slashing him across the back as the doctor turned to run. He was struck again by another dart and went to lash out when he felt the first dart start to take effect. He stumbled, just barely able to catch himself and backed himself into a corner, making sure no one else could get the drop on him from behind.

He heard the door slide open, but his vision was blurred just like it had when he suffered from mako poisoning. He readied his weapons for a new wave of foes when a voice stopped him cold.

"C-Cloud?"

His vision instantly cleared and the mako glow faded from his eyes.

"Tifa?"

He dropped the shards of glass for a moment before he clutched his chest as the pain returned and started to fall from the effects of the tranquilizers until Barret caught him.

"Whoa, easy there, Spiky. I gotcha."

He looked back up at Tifa with half-closed eyes. "...s-sorry..."

"Shhh, it's okay," she told him as he drifted back into unconsciousness.

Once the storm had sub-sided the group surveyed the aftermath. Papers, glass and healing fluids filled the room as the less injured of the doctors and nurses went to work picking up the scattered pieces.

Cid was the first to speak. "Well damn! Cloud did all this? What made him lose it?"

"What do you mean, 'all this'?" asked Barret, "Don't you mean _only _this? Don't forget he fought against the toughest villain ever to set foot outside of Shinra."

"Well, excuse me for usin' common sense. Cloud ain't no Sephiroth. I never thought he'd lose control like that."

One of the nurses who had escaped injury approached the unconscious blonde and checked him over. "We need to get him stable, he reopened the wound in during his rampage."

"Place him in a bed this time. He's not getting back in a tank," Tifa replied in a _'don't-you-dare-argue-with-me'_ tone.

The nurse took the hint and nodded. Two other doctors relieved Barret of the swordsman and carried him into another room down the hall.

Denzel had ran ahead of Yuffie and arrived just in time to see them carry Cloud into another room. With pure worry on the boy's face he ran over to Tifa. "What's wrong with Cloud?"

"It's nothing sweetie, he just had a bad reaction to some medicine." Tifa didn't like lying to him, but he didn't need to know the truth. She'd leave it up to Cloud what to tell him.

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_I feel bad about what I did to Cloud here. :(_


	6. Helpful Keepsakes

_I know on my profile I said I wasn't going to write any updates for a bit, but this one was already mostly finished and I didn't feel like letting it sit and collect dust. I'm glad that you all enjoy the story. To be honest, when I started it, it was really just suppose to be some one-shot drabble and then I get a review from my friend who pretty much was all, "How could you do that to Cloud?!" heh, I didn't want to make her feel bad, nor torture myself with such an ending, so I decided to continue it and low and behold it's forming a nice plot. How 'bout that? Haha, enjoy. xD _

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_Chapter Six_

The man slowly made his way through the makeshift lab. His footsteps were heavy, as if not used to the weight that was now strapped to his back. It was the only way he could carry the darn thing without leaving trail marks in the dirt on the way to the vehicle that was waiting for him. What added to it was the burning sensation that crawled up his leg. He tried to fight off the pain. It was only water after all, nothing special about a pool of rain that probably had collected over the years.

Had he been focused on it, he may have wondered if perhaps there was some kind of parasite that had infested the water, but he had been having too much fun torturing his victim too much to notice. Ah well, with one of the strongest targets out of the way the good doctor could move things along.

Upon entering the main lab where the doctor was working he set the heavy sword down against the metal wall, not caring about the sound it made as the metal slid down against the rail before it settled.

"The target is dead I presume?" asked the doctor without so much as looking up from his work.

The man who was still limping slightly couldn't help but smile. "It was easier than I thought it'd be. The idiot just stood there and took it - he didn't even try to fight back. That dumb look on his face was priceless."

The doctor still said nothing, but didn't stop the wicked smile from crawling up his face. Yes, he had done his work well.

"Are you sure he's dead?" he asked again. "That man has a nasty habit faking his demise."

"Yes, I'm 100% positive that he's dead. I stabbed him with his own sword and pinned him to a wall. there was blood everywhere and his black shirt was stained red. Then I torched the place for good measure. Trust me, if he somehow survived getting stabbed through the chest the fire would have finished him."

The doctor nodded at this, seemingly satisfied before glancing over his shoulder. "And why did you bring that thing? Don't tell me you wanted a keepsake. I didn't create you just so you could play with useless trinkets."

"Seemed like a perfectly good waste, havin' a thing like that just sitting there. They don't make good swords like that anymore. Besides, I like it."

The doctor turned and peered into the microscope once again. "Whatever, just be ready for your next target."

"And who would that be?" he asked folding his arms with a dry smirk.

The doctor slowly turned, allowing a purely evil grin to show. "How do you feel about vampires?"

_. . ._

He felt sore and horrible. It was almost as bad as the last time Sephiroth skewered him through his torso, but Masamune was thinner then his own blade, even the smallest one of his multi-bladed Fusion Sword. Slowly, very slowly Cloud sat up. Right away he noticed something was different. He was sitting in a small patch of flowers. There was nothing else except for a blinding light that led into nothingness any which way he looked. His eyes grew wide with fear for a moment until a familiar presence appeared.

"Don't worry, you're going to be okay."

Cloud didn't try to hide his relief this time. A year before hand he may not have cared, but now he had a family waiting for him - depending on him to come back. He wouldn't leave them alone again.

"Aerith, what's going on? Why-"

He stopped when he noticed she seemed worried. "Aerith?"

She tried to hide her worry, but it wasn't for herself, she was worried for him. He stood up and approached her. "Aerith, what's wrong?"

She looked up at him, sadness clear in her eyes. "There's a new battle coming...you need to be ready for it, but...I don't think you'll be able to win this fight. Not without help."

Her smile returned as if she had just realized something. "Help will come, you won't expect it, but it will surprise you."

He started to feel her drift away. He reached out his hand to keep her there, even for just a bit longer when he felt himself loosing his balance. His sense of gravity shifted and the next thing he knew he was looking up at the lights hanging from the ceiling.

* * *

_I'm not sure if I want this doctor to be Hojo or not. I could just as easily turn him into an Oc just as evil and so no one will care if he gets killed, myself included. xD Let me know in a review if you want it to be him or not. _


	7. Wounded Warrior - Impatient Princess

_Sorry guys, I wanted to get this uploaded earlier today, but I forgot I had a doctor's appointment. It took for-EVER! Dx and then of course a thunderstorm had to knock the power out for a good 40 minutes. Ain't life just AWESOME?! *hint*sarcasm*hint*  
_

_Anyway, enough about my excuses. This A/N is to thank you awesome reviewers. It seems you all hate Hojo just as much as I do and I thank you for saving me from writing for that rotten piece of *beep*, but you will grow to hate this new guy almost just as much. Almost. You'll find out why. You guys ask some awesome questions, you know that? I mean really awesome ones. I'll address some of them here. _

_1. Does Cloud know his attacker? Well.. he seems to think so, _

_2. Did the doctor revive him? Not so much revive as re-create. not sure if that makes sense. _

_3. Why is Cloud the target? Because he's a magnet for trouble and the doctor has a point to prove._

_4. Yes, the healing water burned him, but he's not the first one to be hurt by it. Remember the remnants were weakened by it as well._

_5. The thing about the new target is, Vinnie know's there's someone out there. Cloud didn't._

_I hope that cleared up some confusion. If you still have any questions feel free to ask and I'll try to answer them...of course I won't reveal anything that would give the story away. This is one of the longest A/N's I've written, so enough from me, time to enjoy the update!_

* * *

_Chapter Seven_

"I don't like surprises," Cloud quietly said as he closed his eyes again.

"You've got the worst timing, yanno?"

Cloud turned his head against the pillow to see Tifa sitting in a nearby chair. She closed her eyes, shook her head and leaned back into the seat. "I leave for ten minutes to greet everyone and you choose the only time I've been away to wake up."

"How long has it been?" he asked.

"It's been six days since I found you, and two days before that when you left."

"I've been out for eight days?!"

"Unless you count what happened earlier this afternoon, then yeah."

Cloud tried to slowly sit up when Tifa pushed him back down. "Oh, no you don't. You still need to heal. That sword just barely missed your heart and your lucky you didn't bleed to death."

"Sword?"

"Don't you remember?"

Cloud forced himself to relax as he tried to think back. "I remember...waking up in that tank..."

"I wasn't too happy that they put you in there, but Reeve said it was the only way to stabilize you. You...you died on us twice on the way to get you help. If it wasn't for Vincent, I don't think you'd still be here."

"Remind me to thank him," he replied with a wince. His voice strained a bit from the pain in his chest.

Tifa stood up and headed for the door. "I promised Reeve I'd let him know when you woke up, and when you're feeling better I'll explain whats going on."

With that she left the room. Cloud was tempted to try again to get up, but a flashback caused him to stop. It was clouded and muffled, but he could make out the shape of a person holding a weapon...

* * *

_"Oh~ So, you can fight. And here I thought you had gone stupid on me. Come on spike-head. show me what made you famous!" _

_"Why? Why are you doing this? Why are you even here?!" _

_"Sorry, that's classified." _

_The two clashed blades. One aiming to kill, one to defend. He managed to push the attacker back, causing him to stumble and splash one foot into the large pool of water. _

_"Arrrgh!" He shouted in pain as the liquid burned him._

_His eyes glowed an electric blue as he rushed forward, ramming into Cloud and forcing him back. One of Cloud's swords was knocked from his grasp as he slammed into the wall behind him. The man picked up the other sword and looked at it. _

_"So, you can't handle one big sword so you're carrying around little knives that click together? Haha, man, you really are no match for me. Guess I owe him ten gil."_

_Cloud lunged forward, hoping to disarm his attacker, but the man was faster. With a strong kick from his left foot, Cloud crashed into the wall and slid down into a sitting position. _

_The man took Cloud's sword and ran it through him, wedging it in the wall. His smile grew when he saw the blood flowing from the wound like a newly freed spring. "Looks like my work here is done...To bad I won't get any praise from him, but maybe I can claim a prize." _

_He passed by Cloud and out of his sight as he struggled to stay conscious. There was a sound of metal being forced out of stone as the man landed with a heavy thud a few feet away, holding the Buster Sword. _

_"Seems like a waste to leave this thing just laying here. I guess I can save it from being melted."_

_As Cloud blacked out he heard faint laughter and saw flames spreading all around him. There was a flash of blueish green and then nothing. _

_"...Cloud,...Cloud?"_

* * *

"Cloud?"

The blonde blinked and turned to look at the boy standing at the foot of his bed.

"Denzel?"

"You...you shouldn't be sitting up. Reeve said your wound re-opened when you woke up the first time. Tifa said you had a bad reaction to medicine and you shattered a tank. Doctors were cut on the broken glass."

Cloud huffed at that. So Tifa tried to help him save face in front of the kids. He mentally agreed it was the best, for now. "I'm not too fond of labs or medicine. So, who all's here?"

As Denzel counted the names on his fingers Cloud couldn't help but let his mind wander to that flashback. there was no way that was him. After all this time? Was he really still alive? But, Cloud saw him die...didn't he? His mind was still a bit jumbled and trying to separate Zack's memories from his own wasn't always easy...or painless. Did Zack ever meet a man like that? He felt a migraine starting to fester the deeper he tried to dig and gave up. His chest already hurt, he didn't need more pain. Not when he needed to focus.

_. . ._

Reeve was busy scanning over the computer screen while Cid took the liberty to light up a cigarette. Barret was sitting on a chair that was a little small while Marlene sat in a chair the same size as her adoptive father's while kicking her legs back and forth. She was worried for Cloud to and was a bit jealous that Denzel got to see him first, but the doctor had made it clear that only one or two people could see him at a time and Tifa still hadn't gotten back yet. Marlene didn't see what Denzel saw and let him go first because he looked scared. Barret had already complimented her for acting so mature.

Yuffie was standing in a corner and tapping her foot against the hard metal floor. "Oof, I can't take it anymore! He's been out for a week! Nap time's over, I'm gonna wake him up."

"Do that and it'll cause more harm than good. He needs to heal," Came Reeve's reply without taking his eyes off the computer screen.

"So what, we're suppose to just sit around and wait for him to tell us who attacked him?" Asked Barret.

"Vincent's working to track down the one responsible, but he's fairly certain the man isn't working alone."

Cid took the cigarette out of his mouth to let out a puff of smoke. "What I wanna know is how the hell that punk let that guy get the drop on 'em? I swear, that kid's the biggest pain in the ass I've ever met!"

"Watch your mouth Cid, There's a child present," called Tifa from the doorway. She approached the group, swatting the cigarette out of his mouth as she past him by, "And don't smoke inside!"

Cid grumbled something under his breath as she leaned comfortably against the desk. "Cloud's awake."

"Good, hopefully he'll be able to give us more information once he's recovered enough."

"So, what _are_ we dealing with anyway?" asked Yuffie.

Reeve turned to the group, prepared to share the information with them when a voice crackled over the radio. The voice was hard to hear over the sound of a helicopter's spinning blades cutting the air.

"_Sir! The Turks have requested an emergency landing on the roof, their chopper's been damaged!"_

The group shared the same expression as Reeve replied, "Request granted, stand by with medical aid if they need it."

_"Yes, sir!"_


	8. Defensive Queens and Curious Kings

_Just a quick issue I wanted to clear up. Someone was confused and thought I had said that the water hurt Cloud? No, in fact the water hurt his attacker. Also, I've never written for Tseng or Rufus before, so hopefully I got them IC._

* * *

Up on the roof of the WRO headquarters the damaged chopper made a very shaky landing as it came down. Several key systems and one of the landing rails at the base of the chopper were damaged so when it landed it lurched to the side before coming to a rest at a tilted angle.

The door slid open and a Turk with long black hair climbed out of the smoking transport. He helped a man who had short blonde hair and wore a white suit that was now stained with dirt, dust, smoke and the odd spackle of blood here and there. A squad of WRO troops came rushing up the steps and out the door to meet them with three nurses and a stretcher on hand.

"Are any of you in need of medical aid?"

Tseng brushed off his injuries as nothing serious, though his shoulder had been dislocated. He moved aside as Rude emerged from the damaged chopper carrying a bloody-faced turk who's features were hidden by his injuries, but no one could mistake that spiky red hair.

"...L-let m-me at 'em, I can take 'im down..spiky f-freak..."

Rude tried to keep his partner from pushing off and stumbling away. The man was clearly delirious and in no shape to stand let alone fight.

Tseng wasn't sure this was such a good idea when he saw the weapons the troops carried. "Are you certain this was a good idea sir?"

Rufus nodded at the Turk . "They won't do anything, considering the valuable information we have."

The head WRO officer approached after the medical group carried Reno away on the stretcher. "Sir, I'm here to escort you-"

Rufus didn't even wait to let the man finish before heading off through the fence and down the stairs. Tseng kept his expressions neutral as he wordlessly followed.

_. . ._

When they arrived in the meeting room Rufus was a bit surprised to see most of the members of Avalanche already present. Barret eyed him coldly while Yuffie kept sending him and Tseng death glares. Cid tried to focus his attention on the toothpick he was chewing on (since Tifa had stolen his lighter, preventing him from lighting up any cigarettes), and she herself was leaning against the computer desk that Reeve was working over.

"I see I've come at a bad time," Rufus began, "but we had little choice."

"Boo-hoo, save it for someone who cares," Barret snapped, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"We didn't do it," added Cid.

"I'm well aware of that, however I also know who it was that attacked not only my personal transport, but the new Turk compound as well."

This caught the room's attention. Even Reeve looked up, "Attacked the Turk compound?...How?"

"I propose an even trade. I will share my information if you share yours," Rufus suggested.

"Hmph, and why should we tell you pigs anything?" asked Yuffie

"He must be giving you trouble as well, why else would you all be here?"

"Not all Avalanche members are present," Tseng added. Rufus gave the room another look. As usual his head Turk was spot on.

"I see you're not playing with a full deck. you have all of the big cards, yet, you're missing your ace and your king."

"The ace is standing right here," Yuffie huffed.

"Actually, princess, I pictured you as the joker of the deck."

This earned a few snickers from the group, much to Yuffie's dismay.

"Alright, then Mr. Smarty pants, Who did you cast as the Ace?"

"Why, Vincent Valentine, of course." He then looked over, noticing Tifa. "I see your Queen in here, but the King is absent as usual. Is he still trying to hide by playing delivery boy?"

Tifa walked right up to Rufus and slapped him. Tseng made to pull out his gun, but Rufus only raised his hand as a signal for him to stand down. The Turk obeyed.

Tifa glared daggers at him as she seethed. Her clenched fists shaking at her sides. Rufus put two and two together. "I see, so he was also targeted. My apologies."

_. . ._

Marlene was making her way down to visit Cloud. With Tifa back with the other grown-ups Denzel was the only other one visiting which meant she could go in. She was just about to reach her hand up to the keypad scanner when she heard a commotion coming from down the hall. Rude and two medics were trying to guide an injured Reno into a room of his own, but he was refusing.

"No! I ain't goin' down like this. Where is the rat bastard? I'll take that sword and shove it down his throat!"

"Reno! Calm down," Rude told him, but the turk wouldn't listen. The blood that came from the injury on his head had dripped down his face and into his eyes, forcing him to keep them shut. A nurse came prepared this time and pulled out a syringe and injected him with a tranquilizer.

"There, that'll help keep him calm," she said. She had been in the room when the other patient had lashed out and while she had escaped injury, she formed a quick habit to always carry a tranquilizer on her person from now on.

With Reno finally calm, they got him into his own room to treat his injuries. Marlene looked at the number on his door before entering Cloud's room.

"Hey Marlene," Cloud greeted her. He knew she was a tough kid, but he didn't want to scare her with his injuries.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she made to stand next to Denzel.

"Lousy," he replied, "but it's not serious." He was lying of course, but this kind of wound wouldn't be enough to kill him.

"What was that noise in the hall?" asked Denzel.

"There's another man that's hurt. The doctors were trying to get him into his room, but he was fighting them. I think he hit his head, he had blood on his face."

"Do you know who it was?" asked Cloud.

"He and another man had black suits on and he had red hair, I think the guy with sunglasses called him Reno," she replied.

Cloud laid back against his pillow. So the turks were here too? He had to find out what was going on, but Tifa wouldn't tell him until his injuries healed, but he wasn't about to be left in the dark. "Hey, Denzel, I've got a job for you."


	9. It's Not Him

_Hello, everyone! I know Vincent's been ot of the picture for a while, but you wont have to wait much longer. I had a few loose ends to tie up with this story after realizing a big mistake, but that didn't happen until much later and had no impact on what's already been written, though I did have to change a few things in the plot. (phoey) lol, enjoy._

_Oh, and before I forget, the next few chapters may be confusing, but it's meant to be that way. Because the characters themselves are confused about certain details. :)_

* * *

_Chapter Nine_

Despite her spirited and loud nature, Yuffie was doing a good job of defending their case. She had proven that she could go toe to toe against Rufus and any Turk tactic of getting information by putting her obnoxious attitude to good use.

"No, you go first,"

"I doubt Avalanche is as trustworthy as you claim. You did help destroy my father's company after all,"

"Yeah, and we'll do it again and again, but we're not the ones who were sucking all the life out of the planet!"

"For your information, I am not my father. I will not use the people of this world and rule them with fear like he did."

"Well guess what, I'm not my father either, I'll do whatever it takes to keep you Shinra pigs out of Wutai and keep grunts like you groveling in the dirt where you belong!"

The two glared at each other and it was Tifa who decided to step in before anyone was struck down by a deflected death glare. "Alright, that's enough. We'll do it this way; we'll take turns. One person asks a question and then the other asks a question. That way it's even, sound fair?"

Both parties slowly nodded. "Good," she replied, "Since we're offering you shelter and treating your wounded it's only fair that we get to ask first,"

Rufus nodded, "Alright, what would you like to know, Miss Lockhart?"

"Hey!" shouted Yuffie who placed her hands on her hips with a pout, "How come I don't get to ask the questions?"

"Just pipe down and hush. Let the grownups talk," Cid told her.

Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him and sat down next to Barret as Tifa asked her first question. "How did the attacker get into your compound, I thought the Turks were too secretive to let an outsider sneak into their own base."

It was Tseng who answered, "One of our agents was followed and taken by surprise, the details aren't clear because the only witness isn't medically capable of informing us at the current time."

"Now it's our turn," Rufus replied. "Where are the other members of your group?"

It was Reeve who answered, "Vincent is currently trying to pick up the enemy's trail. Our friend Nanaki hasn't arrived yet. As for Cloud, we believe he was one - if not the first - of this mysterious enemy's targets."

"What's his condition?" asked Tseng.

"Hey!" shouted Yuffie, "it's our turn."

"Very well," Rufus turned to face her, "What's your next question?"

"How could you guys get beaten so badly? I thought the Turks were suppose to be the best of the best! Or, is it you can't do something right without a pro like Vincent showing you how?"

"Ouch!" commented Barret as he raised his good arm for a high-five which the princess happily returned.

Rufus turned to Tseng to answer the question. "The security around our compound was quite secure. We made improvements since the Remnants' defeat, however,..."

"However," Reeve repeated.

"This enemy knows how Turks operate." Rufus finished. "Next question, is your team willing to help us deal with this threat, given the identity of the enemy?"

"That depends," Cid replied, "What's in it for us?"

"Getting rid of our common enemy for one, though from Tseng's past experience he suggests that Cloud should not take part, as his loyalties may be in question." This brought the entire room to a halt.

"His loyalty may be in question? You sayin' Cloud would turn on us, his best friends and team up with some unknown murderer and betray us?" Barret was not happy.  
Tifa asked the next question, "Do you know who the enemy is?"

Rufus glanced over to Tseng who produced a small disc out of his pocket and approached Reeve before sliding the disc into the computer. "I believe the identity may come as a shock to our sword-wielding friend."

_. . ._

It had been a few hours since Reno had passed out, though whether it was from the tranquilizer or the blood loss was anyone's guess. His eyes opened slowly at first before he tried to turn over and rub his head with his hand. "Man, must've been one crazy night. Probably had a blast too and I don't remember a thing!"

"Figures the first conclusion you'd have was that you were drunk."

Reno looked up at the doorway only to see Cloud leaning against the open doorframe. Before replying the red-headed Turk took the blonde's condition into account. The large bandages wrapped around his chest were a strong indication that something big had gone down. "'Least I'm not dressed like a mummy."

Cloud huffed before shaking his head, "Your injuries must be pretty serious if your comebacks are that weak." He took a moment to hide his pain, the small amusement having aggravated his injuries.

Reno slowly tried to sit up. "I don't think you should try that," Cloud advised, but Reno ignored him. "Sorry, I'd love to stay and chat, but there's a punk out there that I owe an ass kickin'." His eyes dulled as his vision started to spin before he sat back down.

"Told ya," Cloud replied leaning his head back against the frame.

"Alright, so you made one valid point, what do ya want? A medal?" asked the Turk who laid his head back against his pillow.

"I'd settle for information on the one who attacked you," replied Cloud.

Reno smirked, "Sorry, that's classified."

Cloud turned to leave, only to stop and look back at the Turk from over his shoulder, "It's not him Reno. It looks like him and sounds like him, but it's not." With that he returned to his own room, knowing he'd get a lecture from the others if he was caught out of bed and the last person he needed a lecture from was Yuffie, Barret or Tifa.

Reno watched him leave before closing his eyes again, enjoying the rare chance to kick back and relax, "I hope you're right Cloud, I really do."

_. . ._

The group looked at the picture that appeared on the video screen. Most of the members of Avalanche were confused, but two of them recognized him. Reeve spoke first. "I remember coming across him a few times when I worked in the higher offices for Shinra. I believe I met him in Director Lazard's office the first time. He was a pupil under another First-Class SOLDIER. Angeal Hewely if I remember correctly."

"Aw shit! We got another SOLDIER to fight?" asked Barret.

Tifa looked down and shook her head, "It's worse than that. I know what the Turk meant now." Everyone looked at her as she directed her gaze at the screen. "This SOLDIER was Cloud's best friend, but according to Cloud he had died years ago."

Cid shook his head, "Looks like he's not as dead as he thought."

Yuffie tilted her head, "Wait, if he was Cloud's friend then how come he left him for dead?"

Rufus' eyes lit up at this news, "He's injured that badly, is he?"

The group moaned and Barret glared at her, "Nice goin'!" She could only respond by covering her mouth, "Oops."

Denzel had been listening to the whole meeting after Cloud had entrusted him to find out what was going on. He had the door cracked open just enough to get a good view of the screen that showed the attacker's face. Denzel was trying to process what had been said and it didn't make sense. Like Yuffie, he wondered why the man would attack his own best friend. For as long as he had known Cloud, Denzel had only seen someone who would risk his own life to protect others. Sure there were times when he'd go off on his own and be gone for long periods of time, but the boy knew Cloud had his reasons.

No matter what his injuries, Denzel knew he had a right to know about his friend. He backed up slowly, trying not to alert the others in the room of his presence when he bumped into something and looked up only to see someone glaring down at him. Well, it was hard to tell if he was glaring through his dark sunglasses.


	10. It Takes a SOLDIER

_I know these chapters are short, and I apologize, but I want them that way because that's just the type of story this is. It works better with shorter chapters. I know you all want to know if this is the real Zack or a Zack clone and why on Gaia he would attack his friend, but just be patient my readers, you'll like what I have planned. ;)_

* * *

_Chapter Ten_

The members of the meeting turned to look at the door as Rude entered, leading a stubborn boy who was struggling to free his shoulder from the man's grip. "Caught this one spying, sir."

"Hey, let me go! I have permission to be here!" Denzel replied as he continued to struggle against him. Tifa glared at Rufus who blinked slowly in response, "Let him go."

Rude released him without hesitation and the boy didn't waste any time putting some distance between him and the Turk. Barret motioned for him to come over and have a seat next to him; Denzel glanced back at the doorway before reluctantly sitting down next to the Leader of Avalanche. Tifa turned to the boy with a smile, "How's Marlene?"

"Fine," he replied. "One of the nurses showed her to a spare room and she fell asleep."

"What about you? Aren't you tired?" asked Yuffie. Denzel shook his head. "Can't sleep?" she asked. He nodded.

Tifa turned back to Rufus. "I have just one more question, how did he damage your chopper if it was already in the air?"

"He got a hold of some materia that we had acquired on other missions. They included one Fire, two Lightning, an Ice, Poison, and a Restore."

"What would he need with all that materia? It don't make any sense." asked Barret. "If he can cause so much damage without it, why would he need it?"

"Unless he's acquiring it for someone else," Tseng implied. Reeve nodded, "Vincent seems to believe he wasn't working alone when he picked up tracks leading from the ruins of Sector 5."

"Has he gotten any closer to finding the attacker's hideout?" asked Rude. Reeve shook his head, "I'm afraid not. Vincent requested radio silence after our last communication and said he'd report back when he found something."

"But what if he was ambushed? He could be laying injured and bleeding somewhere and we wouldn't know where to start looking," Yuffie voiced as she waved her hands dramatically. "Vincent was one of the greatest Turks that ever lived and let's not forget his previous actions against the Remnants and Bahamutt," Reeve reminded her.

Tifa placed a comforting hand on Yuffie's shoulder. "He'll be fine. As long as we work together and stay close he can't single us out. Vincent knows what he's doing. I'm sure this isn't his first dangerous solo mission."

"Indeed not, even before his accident, Vincent Valentine was known as one of the best Turks Shinra had ever known." Tseng told them. He then glanced over at the empty seat next to Barret. "It seems our young friend has promising skills. He slipped out of the room without anyone noticing."

The rest of the occupants in the room looked around for Denzel only to confirm Tseng's words. The boy was gone. "He gets it from me," Yuffie boasted while the others rolled their eyes. Tifa had an idea of where he went and she excused herself to follow her hunch.

_. . ._

When she got to the room she noticed the door was slightly open, inside she could hear Denzel telling Cloud all that he had heard. Shaking her head, Tifa wanted to go right in there and give that swordsman a lecture about involving a kid to spy for him, but the gravity of the news was a lot to take in and even she agreed that he deserved to know. What action Cloud would take was still a mystery.

"Are you sure, that's what they said?" he asked.

Denzel nodded. "Yeah, Reeve and Tifa both recognized him and said he was your best friend and that he had died years ago, but the picture the Turks showed them really made them believe it was him."

"It doesn't make sense though," Cloud had replayed his encounter with the man over and over and nothing seemed to add up. "He looks and sounds like him, but there's no way it could be him."

"Did you see him die?" asked Denzel, a bit hesitant.

Cloud had to think about that for a moment. He tried to recall what had happened that day. He remembered crawling to reach his friend, only to find him gravely injured. He tried to remember what it was like, looking down at the person who had sacrificed so much to win them their freedom but all he could remember were his friend's last words to him, _"You'll be my living legacy."_

Cloud refused to believe that the man he knew would turn out like this. After everything they had been through, Zack hadn't changed. He remained cheerful and carefree to the very end. "It's not him." He said with clenched fists. "No matter what the evidence shows, it's not him."

Denzel nodded, feeling a little nervous under the blonde's intense gaze even though he knew it wasn't directed at him. Tifa chose then to make her presence known. "I see you couldn't wait for us to tell you." As she entered the room she expected him to be sitting up in bed, but she was surprised to see him just putting on his black shirt and carefully tying on the shoulder guard. "What are you doing? You're nowhere near healed enough to be moving around yet!"

"Doesn't matter, there's someone out there with SOLDIER skills attacking others. You need someone who can match them head on. Other tactics won't work."

"And you really think you can challenge him?" Tifa reached out and grasped his arm. "Cloud, you barely survived the last time he attacked you. Do you really think you can stand up to him now that you're injured?"

"Last time he took me by surprise. That won't happen again," he replied as he stopped and looked around the room. He had everything…except, "Where's First Tsurugi?"

But Tifa kept silent. Cloud turned and gave her a look. "Tifa, I have to do this, where is my sword?"

"I'm sorry, I can't."

Cloud turned to look at Denzel next when Tifa seemed to read his mind, "Denzel doesn't know, and it wasn't fair for you to use him like that."

"He could have said no," Cloud replied. He'd never pressure the kid into doing something he didn't want to. Tifa shook her head. "Oh please, he looks up to you, I highly doubt he'd turn down a chance to help you." Denzel just sat there and kept his gaze focused on the floor.

Cloud sighed in frustration, "Tifa, what's the problem?"

"The problem?" she asked and Denzel took his chance to leave the room. He had heard that tone before and knew things were about to get ugly. "The problem?" she repeated. "Cloud, a few days ago you were on your death bed! Do you know how scared I was when I found you?" Cloud didn't answer as Tifa continued. "I was terrified, seeing you there covered in blood. I thought…I thought you were…"

Tifa clenched her fists and fought back the tears. Suddenly a pair of strong arms pulled her into a warm embrace. Cloud held her close to him. He hadn't seen her shed tears since the day Nibelheim burned. He wasn't about to make her cry now. "What do you hear?" he asked.

Tifa sniffled, trying to get her tears under control. His question helped. "Your heart," she replied.

"And?" he asked.

She smiled, knowing what he was trying to do. "It's strong."


End file.
